Bimetallic ice rack



May 9, 1939.. M. HOKANSON BillETALLIC ICE RACI Filed July 6, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY y 9, 1939- M. HOKANSON 2,157,130

BIMETALLIC ICE RACK Filed July 6. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

Patented May 9, 1939 PATENT OFFICE BIMETALLIC ICE RACK Martin Hokanson, Duluth, Minn., assignor to Eidco, Inc., Duluth, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application July 6, 1937, Serial No. 152,053

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bimetallic ice racks for refrigerators, and has particular reference to one adapted for use in refrigerators wherein solid refrigerants are used,

5 such as water ice or carbon dioxide ice.

The principal object of the invention is the production of such a rack in the simplest and most economical manner.

Another object is to provide a form of rack made of fabricated material and in which different kinds of material may be used, the one having the greatest thermal conductivity but most expensive being that which contacts the ice, and the less expensive material being utilized principally for the rapid discharge of the water away from the ice.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a transverse section, from front to back, of a portion of an ordinary refrigerator, showing my improved rack in elevation.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a fragmental portion of the ice rack shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a slightly enlarged fragmental transverse section of the rack as on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the rearmost corner of a fabricated rack of modified construction.

Figure 5 is a. section on the line 5-5. Fig. 6, and to which is added a section of the front transverse supporting member.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66, Fig. 4.

It is to be understood that while I have shown but one modification of a bi-metallic ice rack for refrigerators, it is obvious that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention herein disclosed is a modification of the invention illustrated in my copending application Serial Number 68,327, filed March 5th, 1936,

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, I represents the main body portion of the rack which is preferably constructed of a single sheet of metal, such as copper or the like, and of the proper size for the refrigerator to which it is applied. All four sides of this sheet are folded as illustrated at 5, for engagement upon the supporting projection 20 about the interior of the ice compartment, and with the edge of the front fold turned up or flanged as at 2, and the edge of the rear fold similarly flanged as at 3 for strength and snug fit of the rack within the ice compartment of the refrigerator, as well as to avoid the otherwise raw objectionable edges about the rack.

The remaining central portion of the body of the rack has formed therein spaced slots extending from approximately the front to the back thereof, and the edges of which slots are up wardly turned as at 4 providing strength upon either side of each slot as well as means for cooperative engagement with the fin-like conduits 6, made preferably of the same width as that of the slots less the two thicknesses of its own material and with the upper horizontal edges thereof turned over as at I for overlapping engagement with the flanges 4 at the sides of each slot so that. in assembling, these conduits may be dropped into the slots with the edges overlapping as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

In this form of rack I prefer to have the space intermediate of the slots and the adjacent ribs perforated as at 8, and which perforations may be graduated either in size or number and as illustrated in my former application supra.

For economy in construction these conduits or fins may be made of galvanized iron or other less expensive material than copper, and the entire rack may be so constructed, if preferred; copper being suggested merely because of its having thegreatest thermal conductivity as is well known.

In the modification shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, l and H represent respectively the rear and front transverse supporting members, while 12 represents the fore and aft or longitudinal supporting members, as well as the principal ice engaging elements, and these, in this instance, are preferably made of copper or other good Eonducting metal while the entire remainder of the rack may be made of cheaper and less efficient material.

The member ID may be made of like construction to that shown at 3, previously described, and the front transverse member II is formed to fit and rest snugly upon the inclined projection 20 of the interior of the refrigerator as clearly shown in Figure of the drawings. Both members [0 and H are of somewhat channel shape prior to the final assembly of the rack in that they are each provided with an upstanding inner flange divided into equally spaced rectangularly shaped portions indicated at l3 for subsequent cooperative engagement with similarly shaped but longer portions M at the ends of the supporting members I2, these upstanding portions l3 being spaced apart a distance equal to the total width of the conduits l5 which depend from and are supported by the members 12.

The longitudinal rib like supporting members I2 are preferably of inverted V-shape as shown with comparatively shallow vertical side walls depending therefrom and turned upwardly as at 16 forming grooves or channels for the reception of the similar though reverse shape of the edges of the conduits l5 for interlocking with the turned up edges of the members 52, as clearly illustrated, so that the conduits if: when lowered intermediate of the members !2 will be engaged and supported thereby. These conduits are the full length of the space intermediate of the end members of the rack and are of progressively increasing depth rearwardly, similar to the conduits 5 shown in Figure l.

The ribs or supporting members l2 have their termini inclined as at H, this construction. being readily accomplished as these members are preferably of copper and may be easily pressed into such shape and thus form an adequate closure for the ends of the ribs, combining the maximum of strength with increased area for contacting the ice as well as being inclined, forming ideal means for quick discharge of water from the ice as it melts, and which is known to be so essential in refrigerator efficiency. These ribs are provided also with the flat extensions M at the ends thereof beyond the inclined portion I! and which coincide with the upstanding members 13 of the end members if and H and are of sufficient length to overlap same as shown in dotted lines, Figure 5, so that after such overlapping takes place they may be folded downwardly and tightly upon the member l3, the object of such overlapping and cooperation being to insure maximum strength of the rack with the least material and work possible.

This construction will necessitate the two outermost ribs differing slightly from the others in that the outer fold it will be extended laterally, acting as a flange and providing equally as positive a support for the sides of the rack as at the ends thereof and yet result in extreme simplicity of, construction.

In this latter described construction of rack it will be noted that ample provision is made for the rapid discharge of water from the refrigerant as it melts without the use of holes as shown in the former type of rack, and that the metal of the supporting ribs upon which the ice block rests is of greater thermal conductivity than that of the balance of the rack and is slightly lower in front than at the back to cause a slight forward movement of the ice block.

From the above it is evident that I have devised an exceedingly simple construction of bimetallic fabricated rack, that portion of same on which the ice block rests being of the greatest thermal conductivity, for rapid transmission of heat therethrough, and the remainder of the rack being of a metal more suited for strength, and shaped for the most rapid discharge of water from the melting refrigerant.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An ice rack for refrigerators comprising a sheet metal body portion having relatively long narrow openings therethrough, said openings having parallel upstanding flanges upon opposite sides thereof, a conduit member graduated in depth throughout its entire length installed within each opening and the upper edges of which are turned downwardly for cooperative engagement with said upstanding flanges of the body portion, and other openings intermediate of said first mentioned openings and said upstanding flanges the area of which other openings per unit of rack progressively increase from the front to the back of the rack.

2. A fabricated sheet metal ice rack for refrigerators, said rack having a plurality of narrow spaced elongated flanged slots therein extending from front to back of same, and a plurality of spaced openings intermediate of said slots, and narrow inclined sheet metal conduits inserted within said flanged slots with their uppermost edges rolled outwardly and downwardly overlapping the flanges of said slots.

3. A fabricated sheet metal ice rack for a re-' frigerator comprising in combination a principal body portion of a single piece of sheet metal, flanged at its front and rear edges for support within the refrigerator and having spaced slots therethrough extending from approximately the front to the back thereof, and an inclined water conducting conduit suspended from the edges of each slot.

4. A fabricated sheet metal ice rack for refrigerators, said rack having a plurality of narrow spaced elongated slots therein, and a narrow inclined conduit in each slot, characterized by the edges of the slots and conduits being overlappingly engaged.

5. An ice rack for refrigerators comprising in combination a principal body portion having one face formed to provide an ice supporting surface, said body portion having a series of spaced openings extending therethrough, and fins projecting from the opposite face of said body portion, each of said fins being made of a material having a heat conductivity materially different than that of the body portion.

6. A structure of the type defined in. claim 5 wherein said body portion is provided with a series of parallel openings therethrough and said fins being suspended from the edges of said openings and formed to provide conduits for conducting water towards one end of said rack.

MARTIN HOKANSON. 

